THE pair were apprehended by police in Bordeaux and it's reported schoolgirl Megan was in tears as she was taken away by a female cop.

MISSING Megan Stammers burst into tears yesterday as she and her teacher Jeremy Forrest were finally caught while looking for pub work to fund their life on the run.

The 15-year-old was spotted by undercover police walking hand-in-hand with Forrest, 30, while going from bar to bar in the French city of Bordeaux.

They were pounced on in the street by officers who arrested the maths teacher on suspicion of child abduction.

As the eight-day search ended, a source close to the investigation said: “Megan was in floods of tears and was taken away by female police officers.

“She seemed so surprised that it had come to an end. They obviously planned to keep going for as long as they could.

“It took police some time to track them down after the initial tip-off but they were not lying low.”

Forrest – the subject of a Europe-wide manhunt – had been looking for jobs which paid cash as his money was running out after fleeing the UK last Friday.

The hunt for work suggests their intention was to stay together as long as possible. There had been four sightings of them in the past week and police had been closing in over the past two days.

The source added: “They were walking along a bustling street right in the middle of Bordeaux’s old town.

“They were clearly relaxed enough to consider finding work in the hope of spending some time in the city. He was interested in bar work.”

Megan was last night in the care of British child protection police officers and consular staff.

Her relieved mum Danielle Wilson, 37, and stepdad Martin Stammers, 43, spoke to the schoolgirl within hours of her being found and plans were being made for her to be reunited with her family.

Emerging yesterday from his semi-detached home in Eastbourne, Sussex, Martin put his thumbs up in a gesture of celebration.

He said: “As a family unit, we are absolutely thrilled they are safe and well.

“This past week has been absolute hell but that doesn’t matter now that they are safe – it’s been an absolute emotional rollercoaster.”

Chief Inspector Jason Tingley, who led the search, said police got a confirmed sighting of Megan and Forrest in Bordeaux on Thursday evening – from a member of the public who recognised them from TV coverage.

French police, overseen by a British police officer, arrested the couple at 11.20am yesterday.

The pair were reported missing nine days ago when both failed to turn up at Bishop Bell School, in Eastbourne.

Concerns had been raised about the youngster’s relationship with her teacher as early as February, when her friend told another teacher that they had been seen holding hands.

Their eight days on the run began when they caught a ferry from Dover to Calais at 9.30pm the night before.

Megan had told her mother she was spending the night at a friend’s house. But after the ferry docked at the French port later that night, married Forrest, of Ringmer, Sussex, drove his black Ford Fiesta to Paris, three hours away.

It was in the French capital that the trail initially went cold.

Megan left an answerphone message to a friend saying she was safely in France.

They had tickets to return to the UK on Sunday, but did not use them. Following this, police applied for a European arrest warrant on the grounds of child abduction.

The pair are understood to have stayed in the city for several nights and could have been monitoring reports about their disappearance while staying at a cheap hotel.

For Megan, being in the romantic setting was a long-term ambition.

The teenager had posted a picture of the Eiffel Tower on Pinterest – a social networking website – and included “backpacking around Europe” in a “bucket list” of things she wanted to do on another website.

Realising they had to move on, the pair decided to dump Forrest’s car in Paris and travel to Bordeaux, 350 miles further south, by train. After leaving the car near Montparnasse railway station in Paris, they purchased tickets costing £65 each and made the three-hour journey to Bordeaux on the high-speed TGV train.

In all, Megan and Forrest travelled 530 miles from Calais to Paris and on to Bordeaux, where they may have stayed for the last three nights.

Yesterday, the fugitives were spotted on the rue Sainte-Catherine, a street lined with bars, restaurants and shops, including English-style pubs where numerous expats and British tourists drink.

The police source added: “Megan was safe and well, while the man with her was also in good health.”

Forrest was made “garde a vu” – a French legal expression which effectively means a suspect is in custody and facing charges.

A judge will decide on Tuesday whether to formally approve the European arrest warrant so amateur musician Forrest can be extradited to the UK. Until then, he will remain in custody in Bordeaux.

A source close to the case said he had seen Forrest leaving the main police station in Bordeaux shortly after 6pm in an unmarked police car, escorted by two other vehicles. It was unclear whether he had been taken to court for a routine private hearing, or whether another hearing would take place later in the evening.

According to sources in Bordeaux, Megan was last night staying at the British consulate in Bordeaux before returning to the UK either late last night or today.

Yesterday’s arrest came after Martin made an appeal for help on a BBC Crimewatch TV special. Several sightings followed, including one in Paris by an elderly British couple.

Martin added: “I want to thank everyone who has helped, all the social media sites, everyone. It wasn’t just our campaign, the family’s campaign. I’m thrilled and overjoyed.”

Neighbour Kersti Barnes, 40, whose 15-year-daughter Casie is close friends with Megan, said: “This is fantastic news. Everyone will be over the moon.

“There will be a few parties to celebrate.”

Forrest’s parent, Jim and Julie, said in a statement: “We are pleased that Megan and Jeremy have been found safe and well.

“This has been an ordeal for all the families concerned.

“We would like to thank the Sussex and French police and the British media for their assistance.

“We are relieved the search is finally over and everyone can now focus on a safe and secure return for them both.”

Terry Boatwright, headteacher of Bishop Bell School, added: “Everyone in the school community is delighted Megan has been found and can now be reunited with her family, who must be so relieved.

“Throughout the last week, finding Megan has been everyone’s priority and a major focus of our thoughts and prayers in school.

“Clearly, much needs to be done to support Megan and her family as they seek to return to some sort of normality. We’ll do all we can to play our part in that.”